Three people in the UK farming and agricultural industry die by suicide every week, according to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
BACP fears that suicide rates in rural communities across the UK will rise due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Its chief executive, Anna Daroy, said that even before the cost-of-living crisis, male farm workers were three times more likely to take their own lives than the national male average.
The BACP said the UK government’s mental health supports for rural communities are not enough as “much more is needed to recognise the on-going impacts of the cost-of-living crisis alongside other factors such as Covid-19, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, farm succession, and labour shortages”.
“We know that the cost-of-living crisis will have a profoundly damaging and long-lasting effect on the mental health of farmers and those living in rural communities who already experience a unique set of challenging circumstances, unless the government acts now and invests more in counselling and psychotherapy support,” Daroy said.
“Even before the cost-of-living crisis, male farm workers are three times more likely to take their own lives than the male national average, and every week three people in the UK farming and agricultural industry die by suicide.
“Worryingly, we expect these figures to rise as the cost-of-living crisis exacerbates the longstanding challenges farmers already face – including higher living costs, known as the rural premium, increased rates of loneliness, and isolation.”
According to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for rural business, the average wage in rural areas is 7.5% lower than the urban equivalent.
At the same time, the costs of living in rural is “significantly higher” than in urban areas across the whole of the UK- for example rural households in 2022 spent almost £800 a year more on fuel than those in urban areas, the BACP said.
Asking for help
Daroy said rural communities are facing “extremely complex issues” and dedicated mental health support is needed as the solution.
“We’re committed to increasing access to psychological therapies for those from isolated and marginalised groups and playing a leading role in this agenda,” she said.
Chief executive of the Farming Community Network (FCN), Dr. Jude McCann, said it is vital for farmers and those in UK agriculture to have access to counselling and other forms of support, but that it is also important for them to be able to ask for that help.
“Counselling and other forms of support are vital in rural communities, but it’s not always an easy task to get farmers to talk,” she said.
“On many farms the kitchen table is often the office, and many find it hard to switch off.
“There are so many factors outside of their control and quite often it isn’t just one issue that affects their health and wellbeing.
“Farmers are sometimes proud people and often assume that others need support more than them. We need to normalise help-seeking behaviour – everyone of us will need help and support at some stage in our lives.”
Nathan Shearman, the director and clinical lead for Care Coins – a mental health service – said: “People in rural communities are fantastic at looking after each other, but the problem is that the government leave them to get on with it when they might need professional help.
“Quite often people in rural communities face barriers to access mental health support, including a lack of public transport, but when these barriers are removed, we know that people will access help and support.
“We’ve seen people coming forward in their 60s, 70s, and 80s to talk. Counselling and therapy are great, and we need to make sure everyone has access to it.”
